Conversation threading is a feature used by many email clients, bulletin boards, newsgroups, and/or internet forums where software aids the user by visually grouping messages. Messages are usually grouped in a hierarchy by topic, with any replies to a message arranged visually near to the original message. A set of messages grouped in this way is called a topic thread or simply a thread. A discussion forum, e-mail client, and/or news client is said to have “threaded topics” or a “threaded mode” if messages can be grouped in this manner.
In a hierarchically threaded system, as responses are made to specific posts, they may also be made to specific users, or a set of users. Threaded conversations therefore tend to focus the originator on the specific views and the personality of the posting user. This occurs less in forums where the latest message is just added to the end of the list.
It is known to identify groups of email threads, for example commercially available, web-based email applications group email by distinctive threads.